Method and apparatus for forming fold lines in collars and like articles



Dec. 29, 1936. LIEBQWITZ METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING FOLD LINES INCOLLARS AND LIKE ARTICLES s Shets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 17, 1955 INVENTOR7/0/2701 L/ebowi/z.

BY 42 ATTORNE Dec. 29, 1936. B. LIEBOWITZ METHOD AND APPARATUS FORFORMING FOLD LINES IN COLLARS AND LIKE ARTICLES Filed Dec. 17, 1935 3$heetsSheet 2 INVENTOR fierg bm/h Z/eozw/Tz.

ATTORNEY Dec. 29, 1936. B B TZ 2,066,294

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING FOLD LINES IN COLLARS AND LIKE ARTICLESFiled Dc. 17, 1935 s Sheets-Sheet :s

ATTO RN EY Patented Dec. 29 1936 UNITED STATES METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR,FORlVHNG FOLD LINES IN COLLARS AND LIKE AR- TICLES Benjamin Liebowitz,New York, N. Y., assignor to Trubenizing Process Corporation, New York,N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 1'7, 1935, SerialNo. 54,801

16 Claims.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for forming fold linesin collars and other articles of apparel which comprise a plurality ofplies adhesively united, and which are folded over. It relatesparticularly to a fold line of the type described in my co-pendingapplication, Serial No. 29,817, in which is described a fold line madeafter the plies have been adhesively united, the flexibility for thefold line being produced by mechanically separating the bottom or insideply from the intermediate or lining ply along a narrow zone whichconstitutes the fold line, this separation being efiected first bywetting the zone with water, and then pushing into this zone a wireprobe.

It has been found that if the probe is rotated, it can be inserted intowork much more easily and improves and speeds up the operation. It isalso desirable to push the collar onto the probe instead of holding thecollar stationary and pushing the probe into the collar because the typeof operation in which the work is fed into the machine is more like thetype of operation to which operatives are accustomed in factories.making such articles of apparel. However, it is to be understood thatmachines of a kind herein described may be built such that the collar isheld longitudinally stationary and the probe fed into the collar,instead of feeding the collar onto a longitudinally stationary probe asherein described.

Among the objects of this invention are to provide an improved means forforming these fold lines; to speed up the operation; and, to provide asimple type of apparatus for the purpose which shall be thoroughlyreliable and easy to operate. A further object of the invention is toprovide improved means for starting the probe.

A preferred form of the invention as applied to collars is illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a collar;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the interlining of the collar beforebeing incorporated into the collar;

Fig. 3 is a cross section of the collar on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a similar cross-sectional vicwshowing the collar bent over toillustrate the action of the fold line;

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate different forms of I probe;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary view showing how the.

probe operates to separate the bottom ply from the lining ply, andshowing the operation of the guiding mechanism for the probe;.

Fig. 11a is a cross-sectional view on the line Ila-l la of Fig. 11;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a carriage which supportsthe probe; and

Fig. 13 is a detailed cross-sectional view on the line l3-I3 of Fig. 8.

Referring to the drawings, i represents the col-' lar top of thefinished collar having a band 2. Substantially parallel with the band isthe fold line zone 3, with which the present invention deals. The collaris normally made of three plies,

namely: a face ply 4, an intermediate lining ply 5, and a back or bottomply 6. The band may also be of the conventional three ply constructioncomprising a face or stamped ply I, an intermediate or lining ply 8, anda back ply 9.

The collars here referred to'are those which have linings 5 that containadhesive material. The adhesive may be in the form of cellulose acetateyarns, although the present invention is not limited to any specificmeans for adhesively uniting the plies. Fig. 2 shows a cut liningmaterial before the stitching operations are performed. At ill, in Figs.1 and 2, is shown a small piece of paper, or its equivalent, which ispasted or otherwise attached to the lining, for the purposes which willhereinafter be described.

In Figs. 8-13, inclusive, I have shown one form of apparatus forcarrying out my invention in which II is a cast iron frame mounted on abase l2. Near its upper end, the frame carries a spindle l3 which isheld in position by a collar I. The spindle carries a pulley l 5 and isdriven by an endless belt l6 traveling on the pulleys l5 and i1 andpassing over the idler pulleys [8 carried on the shaft IS. A motor 20 orother suitable source of power is provided to drive the belt. Carried bythe spindle I3 is the probe 2|, three different forms of which are shownin Figs. 5, 6 and '7, and which are designated as 2la, 2"), and 2lc,respectively. An elongated rod 22 is rigidly mounted in the frame Iijust above the spindle 13. A carriage 23 is mounted to slide freely onthe rod 22. The carriage consists" of four rollers 24 carried by theframe or housing 25 surrounding the rod. 22. The extreme outward limitof the carriage movement is determined by the head of the screw 26.Supported on the carriage is the part 21 which has a hole 28 that actsas a bearing or guide for the probe 2|. The entire carriage 23 slidesback and forth freely onthe rod 22 as a guide for the probe. Thecarriage is made to Fig. '11a, which shows in an enlarged returned bygravity to its original position, shown in Fig. 8, due to the angle atwhich the rod ,22 is placed. This construction avoids the necessity ofusing springs for returning the carriage to its initial position at theend of the operation.

Pivoted to the frame at 29 is the arm 39 which arm carries at its outerend a roller support 3| on the pin 32 of which rotates the groovedroller;

33. Sliding in the lugs 34 of the frame II is the sliding rod 35, whichis prevented from rotating by means of a groove 36 (see Fig. 13) in thecollar 31, and by the key 39. By means of another collar 39 and thespring 49, the sliding rod 35 is always being pushed upward. At theupper end of the sliding rod 35 is a pin 4|, on which rotates the roller42 which is pressed against the roller 33 by the spring 49. The tworollers meet in such a way that the end of the probe 2| is approximatelyon the line passing through the centers of the pins 32 and 4|, and theprobe 2| is approximately tangent to the cylindrical surface of theroller 42. It is to be understood, however, that the relative positionof these rollers and of the probe end may be changed.

During the operation of pushing the collar onto the probe, rollers 33and 42 are pressed together by means of the spring 40. The spring 49, aspreviously explained, operates directly on the slide rod 35 by pushingagainst the collar 39. The collar 39, however, is not allowed to abutagainst the upper lug 34; the spring re-acts on the upper roller 33,through the .lever 43, connecting rod 46 and arm 30. The lever 43,pivoted to the frame II at 44, carries the pin 45 which is engaged bythe collar 31; that is to say, the spring 40 presses on the lever 43through the medium of the collar 31 and the pin 45, and thereby tends torotate the lever 43 clockwise in Fig. 8. A connecting rod 46 is pivotedto the lever 43 at 41 and to the lever or arm 39 at 48. By means of theclevis 49 and the nut 50, the

effective length of the connecting rod 46 may be adjusted, and therebywe may adjust the position of the meeting'plane of the rollers 33 and42. It will be seen that the action of the spring 49 by tending torotate the lever 43 clockwise putsa thrust on the connecting rod 46which thereby tends to rotate the lever 30 counter-clockwise,

and hence, tends to press the roller 93 against the roller 42. 3

In starting the operation of probing, it is necessary to separate therollers 33 and 42. This is effected by pressing downward on the foottreadle 5| which is connected by the rod 52 to the lever 43 at 53. Thisaction rotates the lever 43 counterclockwise into the position shown bythe dotted lines in Fig. 8'. Thismovement of the lever draws down theconnecting-Tod 4'5 into the position shown by the dotted lines, androtates the lever 30 into the corresponding position shownby thedottedlines; simultaneously, of course, it pulls down the sliding rod 35 andthereby brings the roller 42 into the position shown by itscorresponding dotted lines. It is thus seen that the rollers areseparated so that the collar may be entered onto the probe. After thecollar has been started onto the probe the foot treadle is released andthe parts are returned to the position shown in Fig. 8 by the solidlines, and the spring 40 exerts its force in pressing the two rollers 33and 42 together. In order to make clear Just how the probe works and howthe collar or garment part is guided-in probing, reference is scale thetwo rollers 33 and 42 and the collar top plies 4, 5 and 6, and likewisethe band plies I, l and 9. The guiding is achieved by holding the turnededge of the band plies 9 and 9 against the flange of the roller 33. Ofcourse, the guiding will vary, depending upon the details of manufactureof the band, but the drawing Ila clearly shows a method which has beenfound very satisfactory for guiding the probe for a certain particularconstruction of collar top and band.

As shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the point of the probe is not sharp; asharp pointed probe would be likely to puncture the cloth; and thereforethe very end of the probe is preferably rounded, as indicated in thesefigures. It is therefore necessary to provide an opening for the probeto enter. In order to facilitate this, a thin piece of paper 10, shownin Figs. 1 and 2, is placed on the lining ply 5 at about the center sothat this piece of paper Ill, after the stitching operations, willcontact the bottom ply or back ply 6 of the collar top I. This paperprevents adhesion over its area between the bottom ply 8 and theintermediate or lining ply 5. Where the intended position of the foldline 3 crosses the paper III, a sharp pointed awl may be easily enteredso as to make a clean opening in the bottom ply 6, so that the probe 2|may be subsequently enteredwithout dimcultih It will be noted that theprobe is thereby entered at the middle of the collar, and that twooperations are required, one for each half of the collar. The awl mustmake an opening and a start for the probe towards both ends of thecollar.

By preventing adhesion between the bottom ply 6 and the lining ply 5,the piece of paper 19 makes it an easy operation to insert asharppointed awl so as to create a clean opening for' the subsequententry of the. probe 2|. However, the function performed by the paper l9may be performed in other ways. Any means which will prevent adhesion'inthis small area, or which will make the adhesion very weak, may be used.For example, a small amount of wax may be applied to the bottom ply 6 onthe side which faces the interlining 5, or a small amount of ratherthick starch may be used, which starch may be softened with water at thetime of 'entering the awl. Furthermore, the bottom ply 6 of the collarmay be slit before the collar is made or have an opening cut therein atthe proper point, and sufliciently large to provide necessarytolerances, so as to still further facilitate entering of the awl; inthe latter event, it may be possible to enter the probe directly withoutusing an awl.

In reference to the speed of rotation of the probe 2|, I have found thata speed of about 1800 R. P. M. gives satisfactory results. I havefurther found that it is much easier to push the collar onto the probeif the fold line has first been wetted with water. If desired, the probemay be given a rapid oscillatory motion instead of a continuous rotaryone.

Various designs of probe may be used. The probe may be of uniformdiameter throughout, as indicated in Fig. 5 at 2 la; drillrod ofdiameter .047 inch or somewhat larger has given satisfactory results. Itis better, however, to use a probe with an enlarged head such as shownin Fig. 6, the head being in the neighborhoodof .062 inch in diameter.The head may also carry a screw thread of rounded cross-section, as indicated in Fig. 7.- If the speed of rotation of the probe and the pitch ofthis thread are such as to create a feeding speed approximately the same75 as that at which the collar is fed onto the probe, then the screwthread will act as a power drive and reduce the force necessary to pushthe collar onto the probe, and perhaps eliminate such force entirely,thereby making the machine self-feeding, and requiring only that theoperator guide the work. For example, if the probe runs at 1800 R. P.M., that is, thirty revolutions per second, and the screw thread has apitch of 1/ 15 inch, then the screw. thread will tend to feed the collaronto the probe at a speed of thirty times 1/15 or at the rate of 2inches per second. This is a very comfortable feeding speed for thisoperation, although it could be made higher than this for skilledoperators.

Of course, either one of the rollers 33 or 42 may be power operated soas to feed the collar onto the probe, instead of depending on the screwthread; or both of the rollers 33 and 42 may be power operated.

' Due to the fact that the fold line 3 is usually more orless curved asindicated in Fig. 1, it is essential that the probe be flexible, and, ifguided along its length, the guiding means mustbe sufflciently flexibleso as to permit the necessary curvature. This is accomplished in themachine shown by allowing the carriage 23 freedom to rotate on the rod.22 which supports it.

Additional bearings may be provided for the probe 2| if whippingdevelops.

When the collar is pushed onto the probe it presses against the carriage23, which is purposely made fairly light, and moves the carriage alongthe rod 22. After the probe has been inserted as far as desired (whichmay or may not be to the end of the collar), the collar is pulled offthe probe and the carriage 23 follows, due to the angular position ofthe rod 22.

It is desirable to place a support for the collar iust ahead of therollers 33 and 42 in order to support the collar while it is beingpushed onto the probe. It will be understood that such support may beprovided if desired.

While I have described in considerable detail one embodiment of myinvention, it is to be understood that my invention is not restricted tothis particular embodiment.

What-I claim is:

l. The method of forming a fold line or hinge in an article of apparelcomprising a,plurality of plies adhesively united, which comprisesinserting a rotating probe between two of the plies to separate theplies along the fold line.

2. The method of forming a fold line or hinge in an article of apparelcomprising. a plurality of plies adhesively united, which comprisesentering a rotating probe between two of the plies, and moving thearticle lengthwise on the probe to separate the plies along the foldline.

3. The method of forming a fold line or hinge in an article of apparelcomprising a plurality of plies adhesively united, which comprisesprovid:

.ing an opening in one ply for the insertion of a probe, entering theend of a rotating probe in the opening and between two of the plies, andmoving the article disrupt the adhesion of the plies along apredetermined fold line.

' 4. The method of forming a fold linevor hinge in an article of apparelcomposed of a plurality of plies adhesively united, which comprisesproviding an opening in one ply for the insertion of a probe, enteringthe end of a probe in the open-'- ing and, between two of the plies,turning the probe about its axis, and directing the articlepredetermined fold therein, entering the end of a rotating probe inlengthwise of the probe to lengthwise of the probe to disrupt theadhesion of the plies along a predetermined fold line.

5. The method of forming a fold line or hinge in an article of apparelcomprising a plurality of plies adhesively united, which comprisesentering the end of a rotating probe in between two of the plies, and,byrelative movement of the article and the probe, disrupting theadhesion between the plies along a predetermined area to provide aflexible fold line.

6. The method of forming a in an article of apparel comprising aplurality of plies adhesively united, which comprises entering the endof a probe in between two plies,

fold line or hinge of the article and the probe, disrupting the-adhesionalong a predetermined area to provide a flexible fold line.

8. The method of forming a fold line or hinge on a turn down collarcomprising a plurality of plies adhesively united, which comprises entering a rotating probe between the back ply and the lining ply, and movingthe collar on the probe along a predetermined fold line to disrupt theadhesion betweenthe back ply and lining along said line.

e 9. The method of forming a fold line or hinge on a turn down collarcomprising a plurality of plies adhesively united, which comprisesforming an opening in the back ply at a point along a line for entry ofa probe the opening and between the back ply and the lining, and guidingthe collar on the probe along the predetermined fold line to disrupt theadhesion between the back ply and the lining along said line.

- 10. The method of forming a fold line or hinge on a turn down collarcomprising a plurality of plies adhesively united, which comprisesforming an opening in the back ply'at a point approximately at thecenter of a predetermined fold line, entering the end of a rotatingprobe in the opening and between the back ply and the lining ply,guiding thecollar on the probe through substantially half the length ofthe predetermined fold line, withdrawing the collar from the probe,reversing the collar endwise, and then guiding the collar on the probehalf of the length of the fold line to disrupt the adhesion between theback ply and the lining ply along the entire length of saidfold line.

11. In apparatus of the character described, a flexible rotating probearranged for guided relative longitudinal movement of the work to beprobed relative to the probe, said probe having a screw-threaded head toassist in feeding the work onto the probe.

12. In apparatus of the'character described,a

through the remaining flexible elongated probe mounted for rotation,means for rotating the probe, and movable means for flexibly guiding theprobe, said probe having a screw-threaded head to assist in feeding the,

work onto the probe.

14. In apparatus of the character described, a flexible elongated probemounted for rotation, means for rotating the probe, movable means forflexibly guiding the probe, and means for guiding the work onto theprobe, said probe having a screw-threaded head to assist in feeding thework ontothe probe.

15. In apparatus of the character described, :1.

flexible elongated probe mounted for rotation, means for rotating theprobe, movable means for flexibly guiding the probe, and a pair 01'rollers between which the work may be fed and guided

